Boom wins 5th Tour stage as Froome crashes out

ARENBERG, France (AP) - Dutch rider Lars Boom has won a chaotic fifth stage of the Tour de France marked by the withdrawal of defending champion Chris Froome following two crashes.

Race leader Vincenzo Nibali, one several high-profile riders to crash, recovered and excelled: He extended his overall lead.

Froome was the Team Sky leader favored to win again, and his departure leaves the three-week race wide open.

Race organizers, sensing the dangers even before the stage began, scrapped two of the nine scheduled cobblestone patches, and reduced the stage by three kilometers (two miles), to 152.5 kilometers (95 miles), from Ypres, Belgium to Arenberg-Porte du Hainaut, France.